Lodge Fire in Mendocino County

An Air National Guard helicopter moves in to make a water drop as the Lodge Fire between Leggett and Laytonville jumps the Eel River and moves upslope, Friday Aug. 8, 2014. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)

Kelseyville firefighters Shane Tinker, left, and Dustin Helm relax near their engines during their recovery time at the incident camp for the Lodge fire, north of Laytonville on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

The Toulomne-Calaveras Cal Fire Unit and an inmate crew work on setting a blackline, from the holding line to the oncoming fire, in order to create a buffer at the northeast corner of the Lodge Complex Fire north of Laytonville on Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)

The Toulomne-Calaveras Cal Fire Unit discusses their plans to set a blackline, from the holding line to the oncoming fire, in order to create a buffer at the northeast corner of the Lodge Complex Fire, north of Laytonville on Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

A firefighter from the Tuolumne-Calaveras Cal Fire Unit watches as brush catches fire from setting a blackline, from the holding line to the oncoming fire, in order to create a buffer at the northeast corner of the Lodge Complex Fire north of Laytonville on Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

The Toulomne-Calaveras Cal Fire Unit and an inmate crew prepare to set a blackline, from the holding line to the oncoming fire, in order to create a buffer at the northeast corner of the Lodge Complex Fire, north of Laytonville on Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

Landowner William Bent, left, talks with Cal Fire public information officer Jerrold Sharp about the Lodge fire at the incident center north of Laytonville on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

The haze of smoke from the Lodge fire covers the incident base north of Laytonville on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)

A helicopter drops retardant on an area on the northern end of the Lodge Complex Fire, near Leggett on Monday, August 11, 2014.
(Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)

American Red Cross volunteer Deborah Smith, left, and Tan Oak Park evacuee Della Blodgett pick out music to listen to at the evacuation center at Leggett Valley School, in Leggett on Monday, August 11, 2014. Blodgett left her home on Friday and stayed with a friend, and has been at the evacuation center since Saturday.
(Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)

A number of smaller communities were under evacuation orders on the eastern boundary of the fire, east of Brush Mountain Ridge, Cal Fire officials said, although firefighting personnel continue to make progress constructing fire lines across the northern and southern boundaries of the fire.

On Friday, eight firefighters were injured as the fire pushed eastward, overrunning them as they tried to defend containment lines on the eastern flank south of Leggett, officials said.

None of the firefighters sustained life-threatening injuries, though all were airlifted to the UC Davis burn center in Sacramento for treatment, Cal Fire personnel said.

Three of the injured people were reportedly local agency firefighters from Santa Clara County aiding the effort in the remote wooded hills of northwest Mendocino County.

Five others were inmate firefighters working under Cal Fire and the California Department of Corrections, according to an online posting by Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott.

A Cal Fire spokeswoman in Sacramento told the Associated Press on Saturday that all eight firefighters had been treated and discharged. Their names were not immediately released.

The Lodge fire, sparked by lighting 10 days ago, continued to burn in heavy timber, challenging firefighters in the steep, rugged terrain with difficult access.

Smoke from the fire drifted into Sonoma and Napa counties Saturday, prompting warnings from Bay Area air quality officials for people with lung conditions to stay indoors or avoid outdoor activity.

The fire was still only about 30 percent contained Saturday evening, but remained west and south of Highway 101, the main travel artery through the region.

The fire appeared closest to the highway near Hermitage Road west of Cummings, where it was just over a mile away, according to a recent Cal Fire map.

The communities of Leggett and Laytonville on Highway 101 remained under threat of evacuation, though only rural residences in sparsely populated areas outside of any town were under evacuation orders, Cal Fire said.

“These are not densely populated areas,” he said. “We, by no means, are out of the woods on this,” he said. “We still have weather that is indicative of intense fire behavior in that same area. We definitely have got a lot of resources on the east side of the fire. We will continue to strengthen our control lines and be engaged in perimeter control throughout the day on that flank of the fire.”

The firefighting cost already had reached an estimated $11 million since lightning sparked the blaze July 30 near Wilderness Lodge Road and the South Fork of the Eel River south of Leggett and Cummings and northwest of Laytonville.

A number of smaller communities were under evacuation orders on the eastern boundary of the fire, east of Brush Mountain Ridge, Cal Fire officials said, although firefighting personnel continue to make progress constructing fire lines across the northern and southern boundaries of the fire.

On Friday, eight firefighters were injured as the fire pushed eastward, overrunning them as they tried to defend containment lines on the eastern flank south of Leggett, officials said.

None of the firefighters sustained life-threatening injuries, though all were airlifted to the UC Davis burn center in Sacramento for treatment, Cal Fire personnel said.

Three of the injured people were reportedly local agency firefighters from Santa Clara County aiding the effort in the remote wooded hills of northwest Mendocino County.

Five others were inmate firefighters working under Cal Fire and the California Department of Corrections, according to an online posting by Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott.

A Cal Fire spokeswoman in Sacramento told the Associated Press on Saturday that all eight firefighters had been treated and discharged. Their names were not immediately released.

The Lodge fire, sparked by lighting 10 days ago, continued to burn in heavy timber, challenging firefighters in the steep, rugged terrain with difficult access.

Smoke from the fire drifted into Sonoma and Napa counties Saturday, prompting warnings from Bay Area air quality officials for people with lung conditions to stay indoors or avoid outdoor activity.

The fire was still only about 30 percent contained Saturday evening, but remained west and south of Highway 101, the main travel artery through the region.

The fire appeared closest to the highway near Hermitage Road west of Cummings, where it was just over a mile away, according to a recent Cal Fire map.

The communities of Leggett and Laytonville on Highway 101 remained under threat of evacuation, though only rural residences in sparsely populated areas outside of any town were under evacuation orders, Cal Fire said.

Communities on the eastern boundary of the fire that were ordered evacuated included Camp Seabow, Elder Place, Tan Oak Park, Bald Mountain Ranch, Mad Creek and Elk Creek east of Brush Mountain.

About 35 structures were considered threatened.

The injured firefighters were working south of Leggett on the eastern edge of the fire when “the fire took a run on them, and they were, in fact, overrun,” Cal Fire spokesman Larry Pendarvis said.

The firefighters had emergency shelters but did not deploy them, he said. No additional information had been made public.

A shelter set up at the Leggett Valley Unified Schools campus by the American Red Cross housed at least two families overnight Friday and Saturday morning, Pendarvis said.

“These are not densely populated areas,” he said. “We, by no means, are out of the woods on this,” he said. “We still have weather that is indicative of intense fire behavior in that same area. We definitely have got a lot of resources on the east side of the fire. We will continue to strengthen our control lines and be engaged in perimeter control throughout the day on that flank of the fire.”

The firefighting cost already had reached an estimated $11 million since lightning sparked the blaze July 30 near Wilderness Lodge Road and the South Fork of the Eel River south of Leggett and Cummings and northwest of Laytonville.